Pneumatic tire.



G. KAVANAGH.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1912.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

INVENTOR I Allome W/mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GARRETT KAVANAGH, ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 191 3.

Application filed J anuary 29, 1912. Serial No. 674,164.

To all ivhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARRETT KAVANAGH, a citizen of the Colony of Newfoundland residing at St. J ohns, in the Colony of Newfoundland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Tires, of

which the following is a specification.

My present invention .pertains to pneumatic tires for the wheels of automobiles, bicycles and other vehicles, .and more particularly to the type of tires that comprise a plurality of compartments adapted to be supplied with air under pressure from a a tire of the kind set forth, embodying a construction that is simple, durable and reliable, and is adapted when necessity demands to be so' manipulated that any one or .all of the compartments can be expeditiously and easily exhausted of air or deflated.

With thb foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection with the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partlyin section of one-half of a tire constructed in accordance with my invention it being understood that the half not shown is similar to the illustrated half. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken through so much of the tire as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 3 1s a similar view illustrative of the manner in which the innerthick portion of the tire is positioned with respect to the valve complementary to responding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

My novel tire is formedof rubber or any other material or composition suitable for tire purposes, and consonantiwith the ends soughtto be attained by the provision of the tire. The tire is peculiar in that it is provided with an inner thick and solid integral portion A, which is designed to'be opposed. to the rim of .a wheel entirely.

around the same. The side of the tire portion A that is adjacent the interior of the tire, is flat, as'indicated by a, and intermediate the said side a which is flat or straight in the direction of the width ofthe tire, and the outer portion of the tire are'arranged spaced transverse partitions B, Fig. 1. These partitions B are preferably integral with the portion A and the remainder of the tire, and serve to divide the interior of the tire into a plurality of compartments C. In the portion A of the tire is formed a main air conduit D which has at E a tube through which air under pressure may be supplied the tire from any suitable source of supply. Each of the compartments C is connected with the main air conduit D through a port or passage b formed in they tire portion A, and in each compartment C is arranged a non-return valve F, constructed and arranged to permit air under pressure to pass from the conduit D into the compartment and to check the return of such air. The valves F are identical in construction and in arrangement relative to the tire portion A, and therefore a detailed description of the valve shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, will sufiice to impart a definite understandingpf all. The valve referred to com-- prises a hard body 0, preferably of rubber, much larger in diameter than the port 6, and having aflat side d designed to bear solidly against the side a of portion A, as shown in Fig. 2, and for the purpose stated, and pliable arms 6, preferably of c omparatively soft rubber, formed integral with or suitably attached in permanent manner to theback portion of the body 0, and connected at their outer ends by adhesive or any other suitable means, to the side a of the tire portion A. This construction of valve is obviously simple in construction and reliable in operation, and it is also advantageous because when it is desired to unlock ,any particular compartment Ci. 6., exhaust air under pressure from said comtire at opposite sides of. the main air conplished by grasping said portion in one hand a duit so as to bend the edgesof the portion A outward and make the sidea describe an arch, as shown in Fig. 3. The valve body. 0 being hard and notpliable will not fill up or conform to the curvature of the arch, and at the same time the pliable arms 6 will cause the valve body to leave the' end of the port b adjacent the compartment, whereupon the air confined in said compartment will pass to the main compartment D and from thence through the tube E to the atmosphere.

a It will'be seen by reference to Fig. 3 that the outward bending of the edges of the portion A ma be conveniently accomand squeezing it in the direction of its Width; and it will also be seen that the hard body a of the valve and the flat side d on said body are essential tothe opening of the port 1) since otherwise the portion'containlng the port I) could not be flexed away from the valve body.

It will be manifest from the foregoing that when air under pressure is supplied through the tube E to the .pissage G, all of the compartments will be, 'lated; and it will also be manifest that incidental to the use of the tire, a puncture formed in the wall of any one compartment will be attended by deflation of that compartment alone, and hence the resiliency of the tire as a whole will not be materially affected, and

the tire can be used for an indefinite period before the said punctureis plugged or otherwise closed.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

The combination with a pneumatic tire OJ. resilient material having a thick and solid portion adapted to be opposed to the rim of a wheel, said thick and solid portion having, in turn, an inner side that is straight in the direction of the width of the tire, and also having a port formed in the longitudinal center of the thick and solid portion and a main air conduit also formed in said thick andsolid portion and communicating with said port and extending at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the tire; of a nonreturn valve arranged in the tire and consisting essentially of a hard body that has a flat side opposed to the flat side of the.

thick and solid portion, over the said port, and also having pliable arms that extend in opposite directions from the back portion of said hard body and at right angles to the length of the tire andware joined at their outer ends to the said flat side of the thick and solid portion, whereby when the inner side of the thick and solid portion, is concaved by bending the edges of said portion outward the tire part containing the port will be flexed away from the flat side of the hard valve body.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GARRETT KAVANAGH.

Witnesses:

THOMAS KELLY, ARTHUR R. BULLER. 

